Prostration to Other Than Allah

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعدى

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Prayers of blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet

One of the firmly established matters in the Shari’ah of Islam is that it is absolutely prohibited to offer Sajdah (prostration) to anyone other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى

Prostration is of two kinds; prostration of worship and prostration of respect. Prostration of worship to anyone other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى is Shirk and has been prohibited since the beginning of time. But the prostration of respect was not prohibited before the Shari’ah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

Hence it is mentioned in the Holy Quran that the Angels prostrated to Adam عليه السلام in obedience to Allah’s order. Likewise, the family of Joseph عليه السلام prostrated to him. These were examples of prostration of respect and not worship. But today if anyone prostrates to someone or something other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى that is a strictly prohibited action. If such a prostration is done with intention of worship it is Shirk and Kufr. But if it is done with the intention of respect it is Haram and therefore sinful, although some scholastic authorities have declared that even the prostration of respect or prostration as a form of greeting if done today is Kufr and expels the doer from Islam.

Interestingly, when one reads the Holy Quran one doesn’t find a clear and absolute prohibition against prostrating to anyone or anything besides Allah سبحانه وتعالى

Indeed, the Holy Quran is filled with exhortations to prostrate to Allah, but there is no definitive Ayah which prohibits prostration to anyone or anything other than Allah. Yes, there is the Ayah:

لَا تَسۡجُدُوۡا لِلشَّمۡسِ وَلَا لِلۡقَمَرِ وَاسۡجُدُوۡا لِلّٰہِ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَہُنَّ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ اِیَّاہُ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ

Do not prostrate to the Sun and to the Moon but prostrate to Allah Who created them both if it is Him Whom you truly worship

(Surah 41, Ayah 37)

Firstly, it is evident that this Ayah pertains to the prostration of worship and secondly it is merely conveying a prohibition against prostration to the sun and moon specifically, and not necessarily a prohibition against prostration to anyone or anything besides those two things.

When we turn to the Ahadith it is almost equally perplexing why there isn’t a clear prohibition against prostration to other than Allah in the primary books of Hadith like Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The prohibition to that effect may be found in the secondary Books of Hadith. In different narrations it is mentioned that the Sahabah رضى الله عنهم observed that a camel came and prostrated to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and then asked him that they observe animals and trees prostrating to him so should they do so too. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied:

اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَأَكْرِمُوا أَخَاكُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ آمُرُ أَحَدًا أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لِأَحَدٍ لَأَمَرْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِزَوْجِهَا

Worship your Lord and honor your brother. If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone (else) I would have commanded the woman to prostrate to her husband (Musnad Ahmad; v.41, p.19, #24471)

Incidentally, in the same Hadith it is reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that if a husband ordered his wife to move something from a yellow mountain to a black mountain or from a black mountain to a white mountain she would have to do so. This indicates that a wife must be completely subservient and subordinate to her husband in all matters except those in which he might order her with something that is contrary to the Shari’ah.

In another narration it is mentioned that when sayyidina Mu’adh bin Jabal رضى الله عنه returned from a journey to the Levant he prostrated to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and when he said, “What is this, O Mu’adh?” Mu’adh bin Jabal رضى الله عليه وسلم replied that when he went to the Levant he observed the Christians there prostrating to their bishops and patriarchs (their clergy) and decided that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was more worthy of that. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

فَلاَ تَفْعَلُوا فَإِنِّي لَوْ كُنْتُ آمِرًا أَحَدًا أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ لأَمَرْتُ الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ لِزَوْجِهَا

Do not do that, for if I were to order anyone to prostrate to other than Allah I would have ordered the woman to prostrate to her husband.

In yet another narration it is mentioned that Qays bin Sa’d رضى الله عنه went to al-Hirah, in Mesopotamia or modern-day Iraq, and saw the Magians there prostrating to a satrap and so when he returned to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم he said that the Prophet is more worthy of being prostrated to. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked him

أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ ‌مَرَرْتَ ‌بِقَبْرِي ‌أَكُنْتَ ‌تَسْجُدُ ‌لَهُ

If you were to pass by my grave would you prostrate to it?

Qays bin Sa’d replied in the negative, to which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا لَوْ كُنْتُ آمِرًا أَحَدًا أَنْ يَسْجُدَ لِأَحَدٍ لَأَمَرْتُ النِّسَاءَ أَنْ يَسْجُدْنَ لِأَزْوَاجِهِنَّ لِمَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنَ الْحَقِّ

So do not do so. If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone I would command the women to prostrate to their husbands because of the right Allah gave them over them (Sunan Abi Dawud)

Incidentally, this Hadith establishes the gravity of the prohibition against prostrating to graves, something that is tragically practiced by certain ignorant so-called Muslims in the Indian Subcontinent. The apostate Mughal king Akbar instituted prostration to his person during his evil reign.

Now as for the difficulty that why such an important law in the Shari’ah as the prohibition against prostration to other than Allah عزّ وجلّ isn’t established in the Holy Quran explicitly or likewise in the two main books of Hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) the answer is that the Shari’ah of Islam is not solely derived from the texts of the Quran and Hadith but also from the Ijma (consensus of the Ummah) and those oral teachings and practices that have been mass transmitted and passed down from generation to generation. In fact this latter source of the Shari’ah takes precedence and has more weight than individual reports, or Akhbar Ahad which may be compiled in books of Hadith. As for the practice of kissing the feet of one's parents, or a revered elder, or the Ulama or one's spiritual guide who is saintly out of love and respect, while the action may resemble prostration it is not prostration and therefore permissible. It is narrated that some of the Prophet's Companions kissed his feet and he did not reprimand them for it.